Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, apologizes to the public for the ballot shortage incident at the National Election Commission in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 5th. [Photo=Yonhap News]

The ballot shortage incident that occurred during the main voting process of the 6.3 local elections and the National Assembly by-elections has led to the resignation of the leadership of the National Election Commission. 

According to the National Election Commission's official briefing, 67 out of 14,288 polling stations nationwide received additional ballots, and among these, 50 were identified as actually experiencing a shortage of ballots. Twenty-two polling stations experienced temporary suspensions and subsequent reopenings of voting. 

Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, and Huh Cheol-hoon, Secretary-General of the National Election Commission, expressed their resignations on the 5th, taking responsibility for the ballot shortage incident. 

While the leadership's intention to step down has initiated a phase of accountability, the matter should not end with resignations. 

Voters arrived at polling stations only to wait because the nation failed to prepare sufficient ballots, or voting was halted, or they had to vote after the closing time. 

Therefore, this incident is not a mere administrative error but an event akin to a subversion of the constitution, a failure to guarantee the right to participate in elections. 

Yoon Jae-soo, Director of the Election Policy Bureau at the National Election Commission, stated during the briefing that day, "Based on what has been identified so far, 67 out of 14,288 polling stations nationwide received additional ballots." 

Regionally, there were 35 in Seoul, 8 in Busan, 7 in Daegu, 6 in Incheon, 3 in Ulsan, and 8 in Gyeongnam. Songpa-gu in Seoul had the highest number with 15. 

Yoon explained, "Among these, 50 polling stations, including 14 in Songpa-gu, have been identified as having actually experienced a ballot shortage." 

Twenty-two polling stations had their voting temporarily suspended and then resumed due to ballot shortages, and 17 polling stations received additional ballots but did not use them. 

The Election Commission stated that it would clarify any additional findings through a comprehensive investigation of voting records and the truth-finding committee. 

The core issue of this incident is why ballots were not printed at 100% of the required quantity. 

The Election Commission explained that with the continuous increase in early voting rates in recent elections, there has been a tendency for an excess of ballots to remain at polling stations on election day in areas with high early voting participation. They stated that there was an internal opinion that it was necessary to reduce the printing of ballots for election day polling stations, considering the processes of collection, storage, and disposal of ballots. 

Consequently, the Election Commission revised the comprehensive management guidelines and handbooks for the 9th local elections. 

For presidential and National Assembly elections, the standard was set at 60% of the number of eligible voters, and for local elections, it was allowed to calculate a minimum of 50% of the number of eligible voters. 

However, the Election Commission explained that adjustments for printing could be made for each constituency or polling district, taking into account local conditions. 

But this is precisely the core responsibility structure of this incident. 

While it is possible to reduce the number of ballots printed for election day based on higher early voting rates, the problem is whether the reduction criteria were precise enough to accommodate the variations at individual polling stations. 

Even if the total quantity was not insufficient according to the Election Commission, if ballots were not provided to voters at individual polling stations, the failure in election management had already occurred. 

The case of Songpa-gu illustrates this. 

The Election Commission explained that in the case of Songpa-gu, ballots for election day were printed at 50% of the number of eligible voters, and at some polling stations, at 60%. 

Since Songpa-gu's early voting rate was 23.3%, this meant that approximately 73.3% of the total number of eligible voters had ballots secured, and as the final turnout was around 66%, the total quantity for Songpa-gu was not insufficient, according to their explanation. 

However, the statement that the total quantity for Songpa-gu was not insufficient does not justify the shortage at individual polling stations. 

There were 146 polling stations within Songpa-gu, and the number of voters on election day varied at each polling station. 

The Election Commission itself admitted, "A ballot shortage situation occurred because the number of eligible voters at each polling station, early voting results, and the progress of election day voting were not comprehensively considered." 

Ultimately, this incident is a failure of prediction and a failure of distribution. 

Election management is not an administration based on averages. The right to vote is not a right guaranteed on average; it is a fundamental right that must be guaranteed to each individual voter. 

Even if ballots remained in a certain district overall, if ballots ran out at a specific polling station, the state's failure to prepare becomes a reality for the voters at that location. 

The concurrent resignations of Noh Tae-ak, Chairman of the National Election Commission, and Huh Cheol-hoon, Secretary-General, represent a formal acknowledgment of responsibility. 

However, the expression of resignation does not equate to a thorough investigation. What is needed now is the full disclosure of the ballot printing quantities, distribution quantities per polling station, locations for reserve ballots, timing of decisions for additional distribution, on-site reporting systems, voting suspension times, procedures for voting after closing, and ballot transportation and counting processes. 

The Election Commission stated that it would re-examine the criteria and procedures for calculating the number of ballots to be printed and establish measures to prevent recurrence. 

However, for these preventative measures to gain trust, the record of failure must first be disclosed. 

The Election Commission must reveal the basis on which its self-created guidelines were established, at which stage on-site variations were overlooked, and who gave the final approval. 

This incident is not about whether the election results favor one side or the other. 

In an election, what must be protected first is not the victory or defeat of candidates, but the people's right to vote. 

If voters' steps were halted due to a ballot shortage, at that moment, the neutrality and professionalism of election management are bound to be severely questioned. 

The resignations of Chairman Noh Tae-ak and Secretary-General Huh Cheol-hoon are not the end of the matter. 

The figures of 50 polling stations with ballot shortages and 22 polling stations with suspended and resumed voting are the starting point for the Election Commission's responsibility to explain to the public. 

Elections are not concluded by numbers. For the results to be accepted, the procedures must first gain trust.